Wow, another update this soon, but it had been so long since I did my regular Thursday updates, I wanted to get one out since I had some extra time to write.
El Nugget: Thank you. I'm trying to ground this story more in the real world in regards to how it affects their lives and choices.
Guest: Thank you. I'm not seeing as Beck unambiguously being shown being wrong in his position, just having someone voice opposition to his views. He's making that point about JJ&E, but Ava is pointing out that the people Dusty is dealing with are burning churches and orphanages down, marching nuns down the street at gunpoint and simply murdering homosexuals simply for being homosexual, things that are really going on in the world.
It is up to you as the reader to decide if Beck is correct, Ava is correct or right is somewhere in between their positions. If you want to know what Dusty is actually up to, you can check out the parallel story 'A Wayward Son's Son'.
Fanfic-Reader-88: They're friends, but their lives are not rainbow and sunshines where they hold hands like superfriends. Ian is one day going to be Freddie's stepbrother-in-law and explaining why Mrs. West #2 is standoffish is spoilers. You know I've always been toying with the idea of who Jade's father really is.
Challenge King: Beck falling back into the same pattern? We'll see along with what is going on with Mrs. West #2.
Guest: Thank you.
Twilight Warrior 627: Life in general is complicated and I believe you never really leave high school in life as it is a microcosm of life. You'll have to be a little more patient with finding out the deal between Dusty/Heather. Sam feels a lot of different things at this point in her life being in a new city with new 'friends' and old antagonists in her mind that will get touched on. Bori is something that will be explored where I didn't get to in 'We Love Each Other'. Freewill is…
Concerned Guest: Jade and Freddie unrealistic? Have you read the previous stories of this series that is over a million words that explore their characters inner workings and to show their growths as characters to get to this point? Also, are you aware of the 'Seddie ship' who have a vocal fanbase whose premise is based on the concept of the Mean Girl/Nice Guy trope? I just took at the domestic violence from the equation.
Also, I do use a lot of compound and complex sentences and grammar… I'm a physicist, not an English teacher.
Also, could you direct me to your published stories? I'd love to see how you write your sentence structure and handle grammar.
Illusorygentleman has updated his M-rated horror story 'Schneider's Island', so check it out when you have a chance and I ran across an interesting story by DarkHeart89 involving Jade and James from BTR of all things, 'I Want Crazy'.
Also, I've updated 'iGuess We're Roomies' so check that out when you can.
Rating: T Language
Chapter 4
Schoenberg Music Building
UCLA Campus
Los Angeles, CA
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
Jon's music class wrapped up a few minutes early and he found himself alone lazily playing at the piano after making some quick excuse that he was waiting for somebody to some of the females in the class still quite interested in him. They wanted him to join them for an afternoon stop at one of the many coffee shops or eateries on campus. The girls looked disappointed, but accepted his explanation for the time being but wiggled out of him a maybe in hanging out with them after the next class with the reason of studying together. He refrained from commenting on doubting they wanted to study since the next time they would be meeting would be on Friday and most people didn't want to study right after classes on a Friday.
It wasn't that he wasn't interested in their company as he certainly liked the company of the ladies, a trait that he had inherited from his father as the older Benson was quite the ladies man before settling down with his mother, but he had enough experience from home and cautionary advice from his father to be careful of women—and men in general for his sister. His father had been honest with him and his sister about being careful in trusting people as he had learned the hard way about betrayal and told them the story when they had been old enough.
Also, there was another reason that he wasn't too eager to go with them. He was hoping to see the friendly starlets before their class for reasons other than just getting the chance to hang out with some celebrities.
Jon stopped his lazily playing when he heard the first footsteps enter the room. He looked up to see Tori enter the classroom first this time instead of Jade. He found himself pausing again at seeing the famous singer dressed simply in a brown waist length jacket, blue baseball-T, blue skinny jeans and a pair of sneakers. He found the girl-next-door image she was projecting quite attractive, a trait that another Benson had once shared before finding his 'mean girl'.
He was quite happy to see her. He would have been equally happy to have seen Jade, but he did have a particular reason to see her more than the pale singer. He greeted her with a friendly and what he hoped wasn't too eager of a voice, "Hey Tori."
The world famous singer beamed a smile and answered as she approached the piano, "Hey Jon."
The teenager from Manhattan returned the smile and fought back the nervousness to answer in what he hoped was a casual voice, "I was hoping to catch you before class."
The very lovely brunette teasingly laughed when she reached the side of the piano and rested her right forearm on the top of the instrument, "That would be pretty easy since your class is before ours."
"Yeah, it is, but… I wanted to tell you that I'm sorry for being so rude in taking off like that before you got to finish telling your story."
She directed a forgiving smile to him as she answered, "It's okay. I noticed why you left. We've gotten use to people staring and taking pics of us. It is something you'll have to deal with when you become famous."
"How did you handle it?"
"Well…" she started as she began to sit down on the bench with him.
Since he was seated in the middle of the seat, he quickly scooted over to give her room.
She finished taking a close seat next to him, one where she was close enough for her arm to touch the side of his arm. "…I found that I enjoyed performing in front of people, so I'm already comfortable in front of people, but the photos and paparazzi… I appreciate my fans that come up to say hi, but the others, I really just ignore. You have to learn what they do and say about you isn't important. They make a living with tearing you down and you should listen to the ones that really love you and keep them as close to you as you can."
He nodded along to the sound advice: keep the ones you love and trust close and disregard the ones that simply use you to further themselves. He smiled again then asked in a conversational tone, "I'd like to hear the story of what got you into music in the first place if you're still willing to tell it."
Tori directed a flirtatious smile to him as she started her story, "Okay… it all started when my sister was going to perform at her school—Hollywood Arts'—showcase. It's a show meant to impress talent scouts. I was going to another school at the time and one afternoon she was going to rehearse, I was working on a science project. She interrupted to shoo my lab partner out so she could practice and happened to meet one of my best friends."
As she continued telling her story, the brunette started lazily playing some random melody on the piano with her left hand and without thinking, Jon would start adding to it with his right hand, "They practiced for a week and I was there to help. Before the show, Trina decided that she should drink some herbal tea to relax her throat, but she had an allergic reaction and it made her tongue swell. Since I knew the song and all the dance steps, I was thrown up on stage."
She softly bit her bottom lip and bowed her head in mild embarrassment before she continued, "I ah… wowed the crowd and impressed our principal at the time. He offered me a slot at the school on the spot. After some 'persuasion', I accepted and the rest is history."
"Wow, just some chemical reaction between your sister's tongue and some tea set everything into motion to get you here? A famous international musician?"
She glance to him and shrugged her right shoulder, a playful smile still on her lips. "I never really thought about it in exactly those terms, but I know if it wasn't for her, I wouldn't have gotten into the school. I do remember that."
He made the mistake of looking directly into her eyes as he replied off the cuff, "I hope to make a lot of people impressed…" He trailed off as he was captivated with her face and eyes, this being the closest he had been to the singer.
He finally found his voice and quickly corrected himself when her smile grew just a little bigger as she watched him in turn, "…with my music."
Tori laughed with a bow of her head and a soft bump of her shoulder against his shoulder, taking what he was saying as a joke or maybe some harmless flirting.
Jon soon joined the laughter and glanced up to see her partially concealed face from some of her fallen hair. He couldn't help but noticed how beautiful the girl-next-door appeared.
Jade stopped at the entrance to the room and curiously gazed at seeing her friend and the boy named Benson carrying on in their laughter… and sitting particularly close to one another at the piano with their respective bowed heads nearly touching. She cocked an eyebrow as she saw Tori bring her hand to her right shoulder then flick her hair back over it while continuing to share a laugh and make some remark Jade couldn't hear from the entrance of the classroom.
The pale singer slowly started her way over to them and curiously asked, hoping that her approach and the tone of her voice were casual, "What's so funny?"
The pair turned with big grins towards her, but a soft blushed of embarrassment forming on Jon's face at the sight of Jade.
Tori answered without hesitation, "Oh, I was just telling him the story of how I got into Hollywood Arts, about how Trina's tongue got swollen and I had to take her place at the Showcase."
Jade dryly remarked with a soft smacking of her lips, "Yes, the night that you were inserted into my life."
The lighter brunette lifted a corner of her mouth and slightly tilted her head to the side. "Actually, I didn't insert into your life until my first day there…"
Jade lightly teased as she picked up, "…and I caught you rubbing on my boyfriend…"
"My boyfriend," Tori was just a little too quick correct, her voice carrying with it a bit of over possessiveness.
The lighter skinned girl blinked then looked to her friend with mild curiosity while Jon glanced to the piano keys, feeling mildly embarrassed admiring someone that forcefully made it a point that she was in a relationship and a little possessive of her boyfriend. He had the sudden urge to get out of there to save face and he saw his opportunity when he noticed a few other students starting to filter into the room.
He bashfully smiled and asked gaining the girls' attention before Jade could respond, "Your class is about to start and I need to get going, but I hate to impose, but… could I get some autographs for my sister? She really is a fan of the both of you and once I told her that I met the both of you, she really hinted at me wanting to try."
Tori was the first to answer, "No, it's not a problem." She teased with a sweet voice, "I assume you have a pen and paper?"
"Yeah." He reached into his book bag to his left and quickly pulled out a pad and pen that looked like he had set aside for this very reason. He handed the pad and pen to Tori while Jade walked close enough to take them once the lighter brunette was finished signing.
Tori handed them off to Jade while the she muttered, "I better not find this on Craigsmix."
Jon laughed as he took the pad and pen from the future Mrs. Benson even if she didn't use the name, "My sister would find some way to make me pay if that happened instead of getting them to her." He stuffed it in his bag then got up from his seat to pull it onto his shoulder. "Thanks for the autographs."
Tori replied as she stood up from the bench, "You're welcome… since Jade and I don't have classes on Friday, I guess we'll see you on Monday?"
The handsome and slim built, like Bruce Lee built, smiled, feeling reassured that he hadn't embarrassed himself in front of the musician. "Yeah, sure if we… don't run into each other before. Kerckhoff is a great place for coffee."
Tori quickly agreed before Jade could voice her agreement, "Sure is."
Jonathan nodded then started on his way with a wave, passing a few of the students looking to grab their seats before class.
A few minutes later, Tori and Jade sat in their neighboring seats and pulled out their respective PearBooks to start taking perhaps needless notes as he began his lecture. The paler singer slightly leaned to her friend/musical rival as the lighter brunette typed away on her computer as she listened intently. "You two looked like you were getting along pretty well."
The lighter brunette's brow slightly knotted, but she kept her focus on the professor as she typed a stray note or two. "Sure, he's a nice guy. Why wouldn't I? I think I'm a fairly friendly person."
"I know the difference between you just being friendly with everyone loving that whole sweet nice girl thing you have and you flirting."
Tori turned her attention from the screen and whispered, "I was not flirting with him."
Jade raised her pierced eyebrow. "You did your flirtatious hair flirting with him. What's going on?"
The brunette singer shook her head and softly laughed off, "It's just your imagination."
The lighter skinned singer dropped her teasing tone and asked, "It was my imagination that you flinched up when Beck put his arm around you or that you suddenly became interested in making a guest spot on his show when it was suggested I go on there? Or how about not liking the fact that he has two very lovely costars?"
Tori focused back on her laptop and put on a mild frown. She whispered back, "I have no idea what you are talking about. I thought it would just make more sense for me to go on there. I'm his girlfriend and you're making me sound like you back in high school when you were with him."
"I was right about him in high school and apparently he's starting up the same mess with you he did while he was with me in high school."
Tori turned her head and gave her such a dark expression that Jade was slightly taken aback. The lighter brunette looked back to her monitor and when the professor asked for volunteers to give their suggestion on how they should complete the harmony, Tori snapped her hand up and quickly got up from her seat.
Jade quietly watched Tori as she realized that she had struck a nerve and unfortunately confirming her suspicions were correct.
Kerckhoff Coffee House
Kerckhoff Hall
308 Westwood Plaza
UCLA
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
'She was flirting with you.'
That was the thought that ran through the Manhattan native as he somewhat jittered in place as he waited in line for his cup of coffee. He wanted to disregard the idea as just an overactive imagination reacting to a very lovely celebrity giving him the time of day and directing a beautiful smile solely on him. He found Tori quite beautiful and regardless of what little time he had spent with her, he found her quite sweet and living up to her public persona and then some.
As he took another step towards the counter, he let his mind wonder if he had met her in New York or he was have came to L.A. sooner and met her before she became an international superstar. He was pulled from his mild musings when he reached the counter and asked for his order. He rattled off his drink choice and quickly paid for his purchase. He stepped over and picked up his drink less than a minute later and started on his way out of the shop.
He was halfway through the café when he saw the red velvet hair girl walking towards the counter. He smiled at the familiar, yet unfamiliar face.
Cat recognized him and eagerly greeted him, "Hi Jon."
"Hi Cat."
The red velvet haired teenager asked the obvious, "Getting a drink?"
Jon let the question roll off of him and answered, "Yeah. Grabbing one before my next class…" He took a quick glance at his watch and saw that he had a good half-hour before his class started and followed up, "…in about half an hour. You're grabbing something too before class?"
"I'm wrapping up lunch with my friends before heading home." She motioned over to a table to see two other girls and a muscular young man with dark hair.
The first girl was about the same height and size as Cat with long straight light brunette hair framing her face that had a hint of baby fat in her cheeks, but she was quite cute in that 'Hollywood-homely' way that most would see her.
The second girl sitting at the table was just slightly taller with fairly fair skinned girl slightly lighter than even Jade. She wore very short and straight jet black hair that barely reached her shoulders, brushed behind her ears that each was bejeweled with three piercings and bangs covering her forehead. Her eyes were a lovely light green shade and her cute noise had a tiny ring in the left nostril.
As attractive as the other two girls were for some nice 'eye candy', the young man drew his attention. He had seen on-line photos of him before when he was in pictures with Jade, but seeing him in person really struck him in how much he favored his own father.
Cat forgetting getting her drink grabbed Jon by the wrist and gently pulled him along to the table. She motioned towards the pale and black haired girl eagerly introduced her, "This is my classmate Noelle…"
She bashfully replied, "Hi."
The red velvet haired singer motioned to the first girl that Jon saw and continued, "…and this is Ava."
"Hi."
"And this is Freddie."
Jon paused for another moment in laying eyes again on the everyday man that was engaged to an international superstar and walked among other quickly rising stars. He spoke to the three, "Hi, I'm Jonathan… Benson."
Freddie grinned in return and offered him his hand. "So you're Jonathan Benson I've been hearing about? I'm Freddie Benson. Nice to meet you."
The slightly taller and younger teenager paused again as he processed Freddie saying that Jade had mentioned him. "You too." He tried to offer his hand in return, but one held his coffee while his other one was hampered with Cat still holding his wrist. He struggled to sit his coffee down on the table then took the hand in a handshake then dropped them.
Cat needlessly pointed out, "Jon was just grabbing a quick drink before heading to his next class."
Freddie nodded to the side. "We were just taking a little longer for our lunch. You just missed Jade and Tori."
"Actually I just left them leaving my class I have before them. It's still hard to believe that they're taking music classes since their already famous musicians."
Freddie chuckled, "Well Jade wants to learn as much as she can and Tori… Tori has her reasons for going to classes. So you're studying to be a musician I heard?"
"Yeah, if not my dad wants me to be a music executive so I can be successful while still being involved with what I love."
"Sound advice."
Freddie quickly motioned towards the table and hurriedly asked thinking he had been rude, "Do you want to join us?"
"Thanks, but as Cat pointed out, I'm just dropping by to pick up my drink then head off to class."
"Okay, we don't want to make you late."
"Thanks, it was good to meet you all," he answered as he picked up his coffee and started on his way.
Cat happily bid him farewell, "Bye."
"Bye Cat. I'll see ya," he laughed over his shoulder.
As Cat headed back to get her drink she had forgotten, Ava raised an eyebrow and smirked while questioning the computer science major, "What's with the invite?"
Freddie lazily shrugged his shoulder. "I'm a little curious as to who could have caught Jade and Tori's attention."
Noelle teased, "Is that a little jealousy I hear?"
He lazily answered, "Mild concerned as Jade has always been cautious of people and over the last year there have been plenty of people that have popped up and wanted to try to take advantage of her and Tori by the most peripheral familial connection to them. His last name being Benson also peek my interest." He cracked abroad smile to the raven haired girl and playful teased, "Besides, you know I'm not prone to jealousy or I would have shooed you away a long time ago."
Noelle glanced away with a hint of pink appearing on her pale cheeks, feeling a hint of embarrassment from when she first met Jade a year ago while with Cat in a class and forming a mild crush on the dark haired actress. She looked back at the handsome former Seattleite and replied just as jokingly, "You're just lucky she has that ring on or you would have had to try to get rid of me."
Freddie let out a good hearted laugh that was soon shared by the three then Cat when she returned even if she didn't know what they were laughing about.
Cat Valentine/Sam Puckett Residence
Apartment 22
Venice, CA
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
Tori was sour for the rest of the class and had quickly made some excuse about needing to be some where as soon as their professor dismissed them. Jade didn't mind that too much as she had to head to pick up Ian, but it did leave her quite concern for her one time frenemy. She realized she had a second errand to run in the morning before she hit the studio/working on homework.
Jade stepped up to the door and rapped her knuckles against the door then patiently waited for either Cat or Sam to answer the door, preferably Cat so she wouldn't have to deal with the blonde. However, her preference wasn't fulfilled as the door opened and revealed Sam on the other side, looking at her with mild irritation. She asked in a dismissive manner, "What are you doing here?"
Jade crossed her arms under her chest and narrowed her gaze on the shorter girl. "What am I doing here? I'm here to pick up Ian."
"Ah, he's not here."
A deep frown snapped on Jade's face and she was quicker to asked, "What do you mean he's not here?"
Sam gave her a flippant expression and answered with a tone that showed she was questioning Jade's intelligence, "His mom picked him up."
Anger and concern snapped to confusion just as quickly as she had felt the first two emotions. "She picked him up?"
The blonde nodded along. "Yeah, she picked him up about fifteen minutes ago and… she paid me real gooood," the former juvenile delinquent softly mocked.
Jade idly asked, "Why would she do that? Why wouldn't she call me?"
Sam lazily shrugged a shoulder and flippantly asked, "How should I know?"
Jade frowned as she stood there idly for a moment, seeing that Sam apparently didn't know then remarked as she turned away, "Thanks."
The former web-star shook her head as she shut the door, glad in not having to deal with the stuck up bitc…
West Residence
Los Angeles, CA
Colonel Steven Shay actually took Ruby's advice in just relaxing and being welcomed to do that at her place while things were still settling in his life. He was on the couch with his sock covered feet propped up on the coffee table as he read his book. It was a pretty wild supernatural/horror paperback—the title actually being 'Supernatural'—about a pair of brothers that traveled around the country hunting urban legends and plenty of other monsters. He was reading one particular part that he rolled his eye on about how one of the brothers just hopped in the backseat of their car to have sex with some redhead that claimed to have been an angel because the next day they were facing a life and death situation where it looked like they weren't going to make it. Then again when his late wife was still alive, they made love practically all night before he'd be shipped off to wherever his country decided it needed him with no guarantee he'd be coming back.
The doorbell rang, pulling him out of his reading. He took off his reading glasses, something he hated becoming dependent on when reading for any great length of time, and sat them down on the coffee table with the paperback. He slipped his feet back into his sneakers and quickly tied each before getting up and heading for the door.
He stopped to take a look out the peephole then opened the door, still somewhat surprised in seeing former resident with his appearance after just seeing him through the peephole.
Roy West cleared his throat, regaining his composure and calmly stated in the routine the two always fell in step when seeing each other, "Steven."
The former fighter pilot answered just as dryly, "Roy."
There was the usual pause between them in weighting who would speak. Roy was the first to pick up, "I'm here to speak to Jade."
"She's not home yet. I believe after her classes she's picking up your stepson. Those two have really have bonded."
Mister West's neutral expression turned into one with a slight frown.
Shay raised an eyebrow, curious as to why the older gentleman would have such a reaction to that statement. "May I come inside?"
"I'm not actually aware how much permission you have from Ruby to be allowed inside her home."
"It used to be my home."
"It was your home until you decided to call it quits to your marriage."
Roy held his tongue for a moment, but gave the colonel a cold glare. He finally responded after a tense few seconds, "But you're allowed to be here by yourself?"
Shay slightly turned his head and squinted. "That's a rhetorically question, right?"
The older man directed a frown to the retired officer, starting another round of tense silence between them until the colonel motioned to the swing out on the porch and suggested, "You can wait on the swing until she gets back, but I'm not sure how long she'll be. She may take him out to ice cream or a movie or something. I know she doesn't have class tomorrow."
Roy glanced at the porch swing and relented, "I suppose I could." He took a seat on the swing while Shay kept the door cracked open and stepped outside to brace himself by leaning against the railing of the porch across from the sitting man.
In an effort to pass the time, Ruby's former husband casually asked, "Job's going well and I would ask about yours but…"
"But…"
"We've had our disagreements Steven, but… it's clear how unfairly you were treated. I hope that you will get your vindication."
The former Special Tactics Officer gave his thanks with a nod as he answered, "Thank you Roy."
The slightly taller man glanced away and asked, "What are your plans if you don't mind me asking?"
Shay lazily nodded his head back and forth and answered, "They're still in flux, but staying in L.A. has considerable appeal for a variety of reasons."
"Steven, I'm getting too old to do this dance we've been doing almost since the day we met."
The former flyer chuckled, "You could have fooled me with your wife and stepson young enough to be your grandson. That's for someone for a man half your age."
"What? I was supposed to do the reverse? Get a girl pregnant before I got out of high school?"
"Wife. You always seemed to forget that we were married before Spencer was conceived. Even I can work up thanking God for a bad reaction to the first round of birth control pills. It does have the advantage of being around to see grandchildren, maybe even great-grandchildren."
Roy asked with a hint of incredulous in his voice, "You think he's going to be stable enough to be a father? Is he stable enough to be on his own since you daughter's in Europe, you're here and no one is around to take care of him?"
Shay cracked a soft smile and answered in a softly mocking tone, "Spencer is just fine. He may have the heart of a child, but… he's a better man than you or I."
The colonel held back a laugh at seeing the flicker in Roy's eyes about the stab at his pride, the mere thought that a goofy artist was better than him, a well respected and successful businessman.
Mister West cleared his throat and shifted gears somewhat, wanting to get a handle back on the conversation, "Speaking of your children being on their own, you're out of the service and you'll be in L.A. for a while… what are your intentions with Ruby?"
Shay crossed his arms over his chest and answered, "None of you damn business."
"That seems pretty childish coming from you Steven."
"Roy, I barely tolerate you and I don't see the point in satisfying your curiosity on a matter that clearly doesn't concern you. You decided to walk away from her and you have a wife and a son to take care of. They are your responsibility, not her… except of course those monthly alimony checks."
"It does concern me because you're getting involved with the mother of my child…" His anger ebbed away and was replaced with a cold and standoffish demeanor, "…she is my daughter isn't she or is she yours?"
Shay gave the business man a near bored expression as he answered, "The answer to that question is whatever Jadelyn needs it to be."
"What she needs is the truth, not you playing games about who her father is."
"If you had manned up and been her father instead of running off then she wouldn't be questioning anything."
"I question it because of your and Ruby's behavior. You don't discourage it as far as I can tell and with that comment, it makes me think that you're encouraging it. Apparently Ruby doesn't say anything to you to stop it or tell Jade the truth. She even did that while Taylor was alive."
"Ruby never made you question in regards to me. You just didn't like our friendship with her. You just used me as an excuse to make yourself feel better because Jadelyn didn't take after you as much as you liked, so you got it into your head that maybe, just maybe she wasn't yours. Then as the years past, Ruby wouldn't let you mold her into the girl you wanted even at eight years old and you couldn't be there to support her as she worked through her pain of losing Taylor, so you just left. And you know what you son-of-a-bitch, I'm betting you're trying to do the same thing with that little boy of yours, but I wouldn't count on it. As long as Jade is in his life, you're not going to be able to do that."
Roy gave him a cold stare that would have cowed lesser men as he whispered, "Will she be?"
Shay paused for a moment then gave Roy a cold stare, the same look when he put his bayonet through the throat of a member of al Qaeda in… He whispered coldly, "She's grown attached to him, so that is not a game you want to play with her."
Despite Shay's military background, Roy was for the most part never intimidated by the former flyer, but there were rare occasions that such a thing happened and at that moment, it was one of those times.
As the two conversed then stared each other down, neither noticed that Jade had pulled up into the driveway and into the garage or walked inside and around to stand on the inside of the house side. She glanced back and forth between the men with a stern look on her face and cautiously asked, "Am I interrupting something?"
Mister West turned in his seat, mildly surprised at seeing her at the door then answered in a clipped tone, "No."
Shay was just as quick to answer, "Yes."
The slightly older man threw the former flyer a disapproving expression then looked back to Jade to answer, "I'm not here to talk to Steven, but you."
She cocked an eyebrow, her disbelief clearly displaying on her face. "Okay, now you're interested in talking to me?"
"I couldn't exactly talk about this yesterday afternoon after you arrived."
"You blew me off then insulted me."
Shay frowned to the other man and asked with a stern voice, "What did you do?"
Roy ignored him and continued with a somewhat embarrassed tone, "She's not happy with you, but could we please continue this inside?"
"Why are you having a conversation on the front porch anyway?"
"Steven won't let me inside."
Jade looked perplexed to Shay, not having to verbalize her question.
"You mother never mentioned whether he was allowed in the house."
The dark haired singer motioned a hand inside and stated to her father, "Just come inside." She turned and the two men quickly followed her inside, Shay shutting the door behind him.
Jade quickly asked once Mister West was just past the foyer, "Okay, your trophy wife isn't happy with me? Over what?"
Mister West passed the quickest of glances over to the Colonel over his shoulder, not approving that he was going to be remaining during what he thought was a personal conversation with his daughter. He continued with an aloft tone, "She doesn't like how close you and Ian have grown. She doesn't like the pictures of your outings with him and Freddie making it look like you're a young family before your last tour nor does she like you reasserting yourself back into his life after coming back with taking a particular interest in his schooling and after school care. She sees you as trying to replace her in Ian's eyes."
The highlighted hair extension wearing teenager immediately put on a frown and narrowed her gaze, taken aback as to the reason the woman had been so standoffish with her. She figured picking Ian up from Cat and Sam's place knowing that she was the one that did that on her days she went to school was just a shot to get her attention.
Shay softly laughed in a mocking manner, "Wow Roy, you sure married a bright one there didn't you?"
Roy looked over his shoulder to give the former flyer a disapproving expression.
Shay looked back like he couldn't give a flying… frak.
Jade remained quiet, her lips almost pursed in preventing herself from speaking for a few seconds then asked, "Did she send you over here to tell me that?"
"No, I wanted to let you know. I think it would be best if you took a step back, not have him see you five—six days a week. It would reassure her that you weren't trying to have such an influence over him."
The teenager softly bit her bottom lip, feeling a phantom pain of a knife slicing into her heart. She quietly countered, "I haven't seen him in months other than video chats and I… care about Ian very much and I just want him to know that just because we're stepsiblings doesn't mean I don't care about him any less."
"I am happy that you feel that way, accepting of him, but I just wanted to let you know her concerns."
Jade glanced to the floor and answered in a quiet tone, "Thanks… dad."
Mister West nodded his head then remarked, "Well I need to be on my way. I can't be late to dinner. I will see you later."
The teenager lifted her head and forced a small smile to reply, "Later."
He forced a soft smile the turned to exit the home. Shay stepped aside to let him out then the former flyer closed the door and locked it then looked back to Jade to reassure her, "Jade, you can't take seriously what that blonde headed airhead."
Jade held her head low and focused on the floor. "She's right."
"What?"
She looked up to her future stepfather and softly remarked, "Ian loves me. Dusty looked inside him after healing me. He told me when he got back from his 'walkabout' that Ian wishes I was his mom."
The former flyer took a soft breath then slowly let it out. "Assuming Mister Hale is telling the truth, that's a heavy burden to carry… and not one a teenager should willing carry when she doesn't have to."
She ignored his remark about Dusty's trustworthiness and answered, "Yeah, but I don't mind it. I really don't because… I do love him. Heck, even when I was janked up beyond all belief in that chizzy future I got stuck in, I still loved him and wanted him to be safe. She said that she'd sue them for custody if they stopped caring about him…" She took a deep breath then continued, "…but her finally picking up on him caring so much about me… she picked him up from Cat and Sam's before I got there…"
"You should consider that she may not be the one behind this sudden concern of you spending so much time with him."
She looked to him thoroughly confused by his suggestion, so he continued, "I mean, Roy could be the one whispering to her that there is a problem."
She softly shook her head. "I don't understand. He's never had a problem with me bonding with Ian—he just said he was happy that I had accepted Ian and he's the one that came over here to tell me what's going on."
"Until you've probably become more of a liability than an asset."
"I don't understand."
"Spending time with Ian has naturally meant you've spent more time with Roy, something I know you haven't done a lot over the last couple of years until Ian became a part of your life. It's given him a chance to influence your life, but he still wants a firm control over raising Ian… the way I denied him all those years ago with you."
Jade's tongue peaked out between her lips and she took a quick swipe over her bottom one before cautiously asking, "When you stepped in when he wanted full custody of me?"
Shay answered in a detached voice, "Yes, but now instead of him influencing you with your closeness to him through Ian, you may become a bigger influence on him than Roy would like. You can't mold a child after your own image when the child has a loving, carefree alternative staring him in the face."
The teenage sensation broke eye contact again as she thought on the Colonel's suspicions. Would her father plant that fear in his current wife's mind just to lesson her presence in Ian's life so he could maintain control? If he truly wanted that for her, it wouldn't be out of the realm that he would do the same to Ian? She had this nagging knot in her chest that said it true with all the times he tried to influence her choices up to the present in being a more respected young woman—even trying to persuade her from not getting re-pierced for her nose and eyebrow piercing after graduation—even if he had been proven wrong about her being in the entertainment industry as stupid.
Who would she be if he had remained with her mom? Would she be like Heather Fox? She knew that sounded like an insult towards the model in her head, but she didn't want to be like that. She didn't want to be a clone like Tori or Carly.
Who would Ian become if her father had exclusive influence over him? Would he be a clone her father years from now or just rebel so much he could be a delinquent because he didn't have the supportive guidance like she had with her mother?
At that moment she had a startling realization: might just have to go to war with her father. She looked back to him and quietly asked, "Are you always that suspicious of people?"
"It's unfortunately something I've always carried and was a skill that was cultivated in my job."
Jade averted her eyes from Shay and remarked, "I don't mean to be rude—I know, something I don't necessarily worry about a lot, but… I'm going to… I'm going to hold up in my room until dinner if that's alright?"
"You're an adult and it's your house. It's not like you have to ask my permission to do anything."
"Maybe I just need your approval at times?"
"Approval for a chil—is kind of a foreign concept for me since I never got it from my father—marrying Taylor at my age in the first place. I was more concerned about them being happy as long as it didn't involve them hurting themselves or others. I could disapprove of stuff like that, but the other way around… I don't see why my opinion is needed to validate what they do… or you do."
She nodded in agreement, understanding the pair sharing the commonality of disapproving fathers. She felt a soft smile form on her face then motioned towards the kitchen. "I'm going to go bury myself in work. I'll drop by for dinner, unless… you and mom just want to have a private dinner?"
He flashed her grin. "That's up to her."
Jade turned to cut through the dining room to head for the stair, but called over her shoulder before she was out of sight, "Let me know if it changes and I'll kidnap Freddie for us to go out."
Shay chuckled, "Will do."
Author's Note: Why can't Jade just get to be happy without someone trying to screw with her? What is up with Tori? Will poor Jon get caught in the middle? Also, thanks to illusorygentleman for the use of one of his characters as a cameo appearance.